Oop—

A gaylor reading of the TTPD Prologue

*I do not claim to know the sexuality of Taylor swift. I simply think interpreting her lyrics from a gaylor perspective is more interesting and leads to interpretations of her music I personally find more impressive and complex.*

At this hearing

I stand before the fellow

Members

Of the Tortured Poets Department

(Ok so we are establishing that Taylor is a member of the tortured poets department and she is talking directly to the other members. This is important because it sets the whole context of the album. She is a tortured poet, and this album is for other tortured poets. Why is she tortured though?)

With a summary of my findings

A debrief, a detailed rewinding

For the purpose of warning

For the sake of reminding

(She wants to warn us about something by reminding us of what’s happened so far. Got it.)

As you might all

Unfortunately recall

I had been struck with a case

Of restricted humanity

Which explains my plea here today

Of temporary insanity

(To me, restricted humanity reads as fame. Taylor talks regularly about feeling caged by fame and like she’s not treated like a person. So fame has been restricting her humanity and it’s made her do something crazy.)

You see, the pendulum swings

Oh, the chaos it brings

Leads the caged beast to do

The most curious things

(Pendulum swings = what goes around comes around, time keeps on moving…. The word “curious” here is very interesting to me, because that’s a word so commonly associated with being in the closet- as well as its connection to Wonderland and the line “don’t you know what becomes of curious minds”. Taylor has done “curious” things before in her time in the spotlight. The cage is still her fame.)

Lovers spend years denying what’s ill fated

Resentment rotting away

Galaxies were created

(Lovers is an interesting word to use here because of the obvious connection to her past music! Now, why are the lovers Ill fated? Were they destined to not work out, and if so, why? What’s keeping them apart?

Resentment rotting away- Taylor’s resentment, or both of theirs? The obvious interpretation of this section of the poem is it’s about her and Joe’s failing relationship. But if we’re taking the gaylor perspective here- I think this section could very well describe being in love with someone you can’t be with, and the resentment that builds up as you see them move on with their life and even get married and have kids.

Galaxies were created reminds me of the lavander haze music video where Taylor created galaxies in her lovers back, and also of the Mastermind vinyl in her room in Lavander Haze with the constellations on it. To my ears, these galaxies are the stories she’s creating for the public. Her public romances, her relationships with the men she’s bearding with. She’s the one who put her and Joe’s constellations together in Lavander Haze, she’s the mastermind who’s created these galaxies.)

Stars placed and glued meticulously by the ceiling fan

(The galaxies are fake! She’s created them from her room, or her prison. She’s meticulously crafted these romances or stories with these men, but they’re not the real thing. )

Tried wishing on comets

Tried dimming the shine

Tried to orbit his planet

Some stars never align

(What is she wishing for? Could be her and Joe to work. Or it could be freedom? Or to be like everyone else? Or to be with her lover? Tried dimming the shine- the shine of what? To me this line is very easy to interpret from a gaylor lense. “Tried dimming the shine,” to my ears, implies dimming down who she really is, dulling the truth, hiding her true colors. Why couldn’t she orbit his planet when they were in a relationship for 6 years? It could certainly be it was a toxic relationship, could it also be that the “him” doesn’t matter, she can’t make that relationship work because it’s with a man? Regardless of the reason, she tried to make this relationship work but couldn’t. The stars never aligned. I also think it’s interesting That we’ve already discussed that the sky is fake, she meticulously created it next to her ceiling fan. So does she have control over these stars? Could it be that she never wanted the relationship, that’s why those stars could not align, because she, the one meticulously placing them, did not line them up? Was the end of the relationship part of a plan?)

And in one conversation

I tore down the whole sky.

(Again, the sky is fake, it’s the meticulously crafted relationships she’s created with these men or in this case Joe. In one conversation, she ended it all. I do think conversation is a notable word choice here, it implies civility and almost a sense that the moment is casual. This was not a fight, not a devastating breakup, they had a conversation and she tore up the whole story she created, or ended their bearding relationship.)

Spring sprung forth with dazzling freedom hues

(This is possibly the most gaylor line of the poem in my opinion. It also reminds me of the line in Ivy where she says “spring breaks lose, time is near.” I think it’s relevant that in gaylor lore, the summer around Lover is when we thought Tay was going to come out, but it got ruined by the masters heist, so we’ve regularly referred to that summer as her “sparkling summer.” The summer when she wore bright colors and rainbows and released Me! This is not the same spring, obviously, but I do think summer has significant metaphorical meaning in the Taylor verse one way or another. So, back to where we were, Taylor ends her bearding relationship with Joe and spring breaks forth in beautiful freedom hues. She’s not at all sad about the end of this relationship, it’s freedom.)

Then a crash from the skylight bursting through

(Interesting! Something real. If the ceiling galaxies represents fake relationships, is something crashing through the skylight representative of something real? Real emotions… I also think this ties in with the lavander haze music video, where she tears down the walls to discover galaxies of koi fish outside.)

Something old,

Someone hallowed,

Who told me he could

be brand new

(I’m not gonna lie, this is one of the harder lines to interpret from a gaylor perspective, it does seem obviously Rathew Healy coded. But, let’s break it down anyways. It’s notable that this section is a play on the wedding phrase, “something old something new something borrowed something blue.” Which of her possible muses has gotten married? I can think of one. Something old seems to reference a past relationship, it could also be a reference to something that’s been with her all along, a feeling, or a secret, that she’s always had. Someone hallowed- empty, this person is a shell. He told her he could be brand new. I think there are a few ways to interpret this. The obvious seems to be that a past relationship came back and told her he could be different this time. Could it also be that old feelings came up and crashed through her skylight, or through her constructed relationships, and she needed a new shell, or puppet, to conceal them? Was the shell saying he could be brand new offering to be whatever Taylor needed him to be?)

And so I was out of the oven

And into the microwave

(Taylor was preparing something, she was getting ready for something, but she had to rush it.)

Out of the slammer

And into the tidal wave

(The obvious interpretation is that the slammer is her relationship with Joe and the tidal wave is Matty, hence guilty as sin. However, what she’s saying at the core here is that as soon as she’s free, she’s in danger. Freedom will drown her. )

How gallant to save the empress from her guilded tower

Swinging a sword he could barely lift

But loneliness struck at that fateful hour

Low hanging fruit on his wine stained lips.

(Now I actually do believe this section is about Matty! He “saved” Taylor, took on a bearding relationship with her, but he couldn’t handle the responsibility. I think it’s very telling that she says loneliness struck. If they were in a real relationship, one that was a close and intense and passionate as she describes throughout this album, why is loneliness what tore them apart? Why were they lonely if they were twin flames? To me, the answer that makes the most sense is they were not. This relationship was not real, either. She got out of the prison of her bearding relationship with Joe and into the tidal wave of chaos that was a bearding relationship with Matty, but they were still both lonely in the end. And that loneliness drove him to say something drunkenly she couldn’t forgive. What low hanging fruit did he reach for? What nerve did he strike?)

He never even scratched the surface of me.

None of them did.

(This seems extremely telling from a gaylor perspective. NONE of them. Not a single one of these men truly understood Taylor. I do think it’s worth noting that Travis songs are on this album, and she does not say, ‘none until him,’ or even include Travis in this prologue. none of the men have scratched the surface of her, period.)

“In summation, it was not a love affair!”

I screamed while bringing my fist to my coffee ringed desk

(She’s screaming at us that this album is not about a love affair, and none of what happened was real love or romance. Her desk is coffee ringed because she’s been there a long time, writing, trying to explain herself.)

It was a mutual manic phase.

It was self harm.

It was house and then cardiac arrest.

(Her and Matty were a mutual manic phase. Why was that relationship self harm? It certainly could be bc Ratty is a terrible person and that relationship was toxic. It could also be that ALL of her relationships with men, or at least the ones referenced in this prologue, were self harm. She’s forcing herself into situations that hurt her for the sake of fame. The relationship was house arrest because she was trapped and then cardiac arrest because her heart died, there was no emotion or passion.)

A smirk creeps onto this poets face

Because it’s the worst men I write the best.

(She writes the men!! She is saying right here, she is the writer of the stories, the mastermind behind the galaxies. She’s smirking because she’s tricking us and she knows it. She knows she’s going to be misunderstood, she knows something we don’t.)

And so I enter into evidence my tarnished coat of arms

(Okay so she’s entering these things into evidence. Time to revisit the beginning. What is this evidence of? What is she warning us against? Is this evidence of her plea of insanity, or evidence to support her warning? At this point in the poem, what exactly is she warning us against? In my opinion, she’s warning us against idolizing her or trusting her at face value, she’s warning us against worshiping her relationship so she’s saying over and over, “this is a story I’ve constructed and now it’s torturing me.”

A coat of arms is a family sigil- it could also be seen on a shield. So Taylor’s coat of arms is something that protects her and identifies her- is it her brand? The public Taylor? It’s tarnished, is that because her reputation was tarnished with Matty? Is she saying, my tarnished brand is evidence this is torturing me?)

My muses, acquired like bruises

(She paid a price for each muse in her songs. Each one of these relationships she’s written about hurt her in some way. I also think it’s notable that bruises are visible signs of injury- we all see the bruises, we all define her by them. I think it’s obvious to see how her muse bruises are evidence she’s being tortured.)

My talismans and charms

(Talismans and charms reminds me of Easter eggs. Hidden symbols and messages and codes. Gaylors regularly use symbolism and Easter eggs as evidence that Taylor is not happy, she’s being tortured.)

The tick tick tick of love bombs

(The love bombs could certainly be love bombing in relationships- I think it could also mean love bombing from fans, and how it’s going to blow up in everyone’s face.)

My veins of pitch black ink

(Interesting for a few reasons. She’s dark and bitter on the inside, she doesn’t feel like she bleeds the same as everyone else. And, she has to bleed to write. She has to suffer for her art.)

Alls fair in love and poetry

(All of this, all the lies, all the constructions, everything I’m doing is fair because it’s for the sake of love and my art. This poem, and this album, is a warning against getting swept up in the stories of her relationships, because they’re constructions that she’s made for her art.)

Sincerely,

The chairman of the tortured poets department

(She’s not only in the tortured poets department, she’s the chairman. She’s in charge. She’s the head tortured poet. SHE IS BEING TORTURED FOR HER ART and we’re misunderstanding her.)

Or, you know, maybe it’s just about how she went insane and dated Matty Healy and now she wants to be seen as tortured and edgy.

If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read!

This was entirely for my own enjoyment, but if anything resonates with you or if you have another complex or unusual reading I’d love to hear it ✨

#dreams and wishes

If you see this on your dashboard, reblog this, NO MATTER WHAT and all your dreams and wishes will come true.

the kind of desire that dare not use the door: rob sheffield / taylor swift

Can we talk about in the OOTW video when her hands are covered in spiked icicles? Anything she touches she will damage, whether it be herself or others. Does this represent when her hands were tied behind her back and she couldn’t defend herself? 

Alrighty folks, buckle up, because I googled "Taylor Swift Wonderland music video" and have fallen down a as of yet unsolved Eras tour puzzle/ one of the greatest theories I've ever heard!

Reddit Link also included

Illuminating: Style and its obvious clues

Opinions have been varied on who Style is about, obviously many claim it's about Harry Styles because of their relationship, as well as Dianna because of her James Dean photoshoot.

Even though I knew of Karlie's James Dean photoshoot on Dec 2012, I was still on the fence since the lyrics is talking about the cycle of intense love, crashing down, and coming back to the same person. So if they just met, how can this be about her, right?

However, since Taylor's clues have pointed to the timeline being a public narrative, such as:

First introduced by Bevan with Emma Stone in April 27 2008

Karlie on magazine mentions meeting and talking at the Met 2011 and baking dates

Mentioned Karlie unprompted on her 1st US Vogue Cover (does she do that a lot on print?)

released songs from the rep album such as timeless (confirmed single) and ICSY (sonically/lyrically according to critics) under Speak Now vault (screenshot below)

Karlie wearing an Enchanted gem on her bracelet (come on, how many songs do you have and you picked Enchanted?)

I am inclined to believe they have met longer than the public knows.

Clue # 1 - Style was written and recorded by Feb 19, 2014 while Dianna's InStyle magazine was Feb 2014 and Karlie's was Dec 2012. Not definitive but it's a start.

Clue #2 - might be the most obvious one yet and it's in the lyrics

"You got that long hair, slicked back, white T-shirt"

Both had the slicked back hair, only Karlie has worn a white t-shirt.

Clue #3 - "And I got that red lip classic thing that you like"

from Vogue 73 questions - she rarely wears red but sure it's favorite

Clue #4 - Walking to Style during VSFS 2014 as the King and Queen of chess and Taylor recreating this moment every eras tour?

Clue #5

I mean, can't be a coincidence, right?

A few times in between Karlie was allegedly with Leigh or Toni while Taylor we know has had a few flings as well.

Lyric parallels

"So it goes" is such an iconic line for them and I believe that Taylor has purposely made it a title in one of the rep songs for a reason

There are 13 "so it goes" in the song including the title

"'round and 'round" - While the YAIL reference sounds a perfect callback to the 1st VSFS it could also refer to them circling each other, chasing each other like cat and mouse (Paper Rings), being on different sides of Atlantic (Come back, be Here)

and how many times have we heard Karlie with the phrase "never go(es) out of style"? - this year alone she said it twice while being interviewed.

let me know what you think

This this this 💘

(source)

👼 VSFS Angel Wing Ring Masterpost 👼

ah yes 😌 the ring brought before us unto heaven. so much can be and has been said about it, that i thought it my duty to compile it in one place. here we go…

origins

taylor started wearing the angel wing ring in 2017, though it was likely gifted in november 2016. we say november 2016 because that’s the time when various victoria’s secret Angels posted to instagram about receiving them (only contracted Angels received them, not just any models working for vsfs). its worth noting that from a swiftie canon perspective, taylor was gifted this ring from victoria’s secret management for her appearance in multiple shows.

nine wing one for taylor 📯

nine wing one for taylor 📯

yup! here are two examples. here’s taylor wearing it before and more recently where she wore it at a party and everyone thought it was a rin

why it’s a Kaylor symbol

well there are a variety of ways to explain things away if you want to, i’m sure, but if you’ve been around these parts since rep era you will know that this ring has been a definitive kaylor bat signal—something talked about a ton! and taylor surely knows that. but this aside, we mainly associate it with kaylor because of how iconic taylor’s two vsfs appearances were, both of which were with karlie. to be clear, the association does not hinge on an assumption that karlie herself gave the ring, rather that it represents taylor’s time with the show, that was spent with karlie.

separate from this, and arguably the biggest point, is that she wears the ring in the clip where she is strumming Call It What You Want to a certain unseen somebody (who we have speculated and offered reason as to why it is karlie) holding the camera. that aside, that song is so clearly a play on sounds and words that sound like karlie. (karlie what you want, call it what you want, karlie).

nine wing one for taylor 📯

nine wing one for taylor 📯

yes

another more visual reason why one might associate this jewelry with karlie in particular is that she was the face of Victoria’s Secret Heavenly fragrance, a bottle that came with similar adornments and accessories.

nine wing one for taylor 📯

nothing new just a reminder

nothing new just a reminder

but now to the meat and potatoes of the matter..

here are all the times taylor has been seen wearing the vsfs angel wing ring:

👼 call it what you want home video clip (late 2016-early 2017)

👼 recording sessions with jack for Getaway Car and TIWWCHNT, and recording session with max martin for …Ready For It? (late 2016-early 2017)

👼 reputation promo UPS ad where she’s writing in the diary (released August 25th, 2017)

👼 delicate vertical video (March 30th, 2018)

👼 CATS wrap up party (March 30th, 2019)

👼 stella mccartney lover collab promo photos (August 20th, 2019)

👼 stella mccartney lover collab promo interview (August 20th, 2019)

👼 getting papped walking out of stella mccartney’s studio with the folklore jacket (December 4th, 2019 (kissgate anniversary)

👼 NMPA songwriter icon award speech (June 9th, 2021)

👼 her 32nd birthday party in tribeca (December 13th, 2021)

why is this established timeline significant?

so for me, to see that this ring has been quite consistently worn since rep era, so far all the way up to the very end of 2021, *and*, often on special occasions at that, gives me a certain peace of mind. if one is to believe that a ring from an event where taylor was both introduced to karlie and one where she walked down a runway hand in hand on stage on prime-time tv together with her, is something associable with karlie, then the following would seem puzzling:

how could taylor be wearing this ring on days or during times where the memory of karlie might be upsetting to her. footage of the recording of rep era songs, footage for rep era promo, an official music video right before tour, to an event she went with with her beau after rep era ended, footage at the start of lover era played during a livestream even where she had to give a talk—footage taped not too far after her masters were bought by scooter, during an award acceptance speech in mid 2021, to her own birthday party just this past year, etc etc… why wear a ring that is obviously symbolic of a time with someone that would now be triggering, to places and occasions where you need to keep your shit together?

times being as they are, i will limit conveying the scope of what i feel, but i find it worth saying that for me? all these crafted narratives and stories over the years asserting that karlie has been an upsetting presence in taylor’s life? the whole cornucopia of them? well they can all take a hike!

🌈🌈🌈

No because people don’t seem to understand. The scrambled letters, the Easter eggs, the hidden letters and messages, these are all tradition for us. No it’s not just promo, she’s doing this for us, we’ve been doing this from the beginning of her career.

We started by figuring out hidden messages in songs from her booklets to connecting barcodes all across the globe. I’m so excited, I’m so happy.